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Samsung Galaxy Round, the new Trinitron

Samsung just produced an inverse Trinitron display for phones. We spent 30 years to produce perfect rectangles only to go back to the fishbowls we had in the 1950s. Perfect.

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To Vizio, or NOT!

I have never been pushed to the point that I felt the need to voice a negative feeling about poor service/support received from an electronics manufacturer.  I had a stereo that lasted for nearly 10 years (can’t complain about that), and an amateur radio that is still going after 20 years (minor maintenance required).  So that tells me that I generally take good care of major purchases, or the items are well built. 

On February 28, 2011, I exchanged a blu-ray player that I had purchased from Wal-mart for a more expensive Vizio VIZIO_VBR220Aplayer with built-in apps.  It is used primarily for the apps to access Vudu, Netflix, and Pandora, all requiring no moving parts of the player (except for the remote).  We have enjoyed the experience it provided, that is, until last Saturday, April 6, 2013.  None of the apps were working, and I got error messages for each of the following streaming apps:

Netflix: “Software update failed.  Please check your connection and try again.”

Vudu: “Failed to connect to the network. Connection failed.”

Pandora: “Sorry, this player is not authorized to use Pandora.  The application will now exit.”

I am very familiar with troubleshooting, and performed all the expected steps of Vizio before contacting their online tech support, including resetting the device to factory settings and disabling all the associated accounts, disconnecting from the wifi network and restoring it, disconnecting power and waiting a few minutes before restoring it, all to no avail.  I then pulled up Vizio’s website to access their technical support.  Following is the dialog from my first online chat with a representative:

        Elena: Thank you for contacting VIZIO Live Chat, the home of Entertainment Freedom for All.  This is Elena in South Dakota. Have you ever contacted us before?

        Patrick Sutton: Perhaps by phone, not by chat.
 Elena: Your widgets are not working?
 Patrick Sutton: None of them, they all worked up until last night.
 Elena: Go to settings. Then network. Then network test. What does it tell you
 Patrick Sutton: I have tried the software update function, but all I get is Server Error (11000404) Unable to perform update at this time.  Please try again later.  That is the same error I have gotten for months now.
 Patrick Sutton: Network test works fine.  I have disconnected and reconnected to my home wifi network successfully.
 Patrick Sutton: Other devices in the home are performing correctly on the wifi network
 Elena: The reason that you are getting that error is because there is no update available at this time
 Elena: How long ago was the Bluray player purchased? 
 Patrick Sutton: Approx. 2 years.
 Patrick Sutton: I have screen shots taken with my smartphone and can type any of the messages that pop up.
 Patrick Sutton: For the apps not working
 Elena: I am going to have you reset the Bluray player to factory settings 
 Elena: Please try resetting the bluray player back to factory settings:
Go to Settings and click select on the remote
Go to System and click select on the remote
Go to Restore factory Defaults and click select on the remote
Go to Restore factory defaults and deactivate all applications and press select
Press return until at the main screen
Turn off the BluRay
Unplug the power for 2 minutes
Turn on the BluRay 
Patrick Sutton: done. unplugged now waiting 2 minutes.
 Elena: Great
 Patrick Sutton: Would you like me to reconnect to network now?
 Elena: Yes
 Patrick Sutton: standby
 Elena: Alright 
 Patrick Sutton: Connection Success.  Next step?
 Elena: Test a widget 
 Patrick Sutton: No luck.  Netflix (most important one) says Software update failed. Please check your connection and try again.
 Elena: Are you able to hardwire it?
 Patrick Sutton: Pandora says Sorry this player is not authorized to use...
 Patrick Sutton: Not able to hardwire.
 Elena: I would like to test if you are able to connect while hardwired 
 Patrick Sutton: Do not have an extra Cat5 cable to bring to modem, Network PC in other room.  Not feasible to connect that way.
 Patrick Sutton: I can provide screen shots...
 Elena: We do not need screen shots
 Elena: We would need to hardwire the Bluray player to see if it able to connect to the internet 
 Patrick Sutton: Today is not possible. Cat5 cables are all in use now connected to modem.  Would be a major inconvenience when I do get additional cables unless I can obtain a cable 20-30 feet long...
 Elena: If you are not able to do it today its fine. But it would need to be tested. 
 Patrick Sutton: Is there a ticket or service order that can be referenced until I can revisit?
 Elena: One moment please and I will get that for you
 Elena: When you set it back up were you able to connect to wifi?
 Patrick Sutton: Yes.  It says its connected. . One moment and I will run wifi test and type the message in.
 Elena: Alright 
 Patrick Sutton: Connected to Router: Success
 Patrick Sutton: Testing DNS: Success
 Elena: Only thing that we can do at this point is to hardwire it to test it
 Patrick Sutton: Verifying Internet Connection: Success
 Elena: If you should have any further questions about this, please reference case number 3405655
 Elena: Is there anything else that I can assist you with today?
 Patrick Sutton: I guess not... :-(
 Elena: Thank you for contacting VIZIO Chat Support!  If you need our assistance again in the future you can contact us by Chat, Email, and Phone service.  That information is found on http://www.vizio.com.  Have a great day!
 Elena has disconnected.

Now, at this point the ball was left in my court.  Elena wanted me to test hardwired, and there was nothing else that she or Vizio would do until I could complete that, what seemed a reasonable troubleshooting step.   My network connections and computer are in the bedroom, the blu-ray player and TV are in the living room.  Too long a distance to connect with what I had.  It was going to be the next day before I could gain access to a long enough Cat5 network cable to connect.

My wife was extremely frustrated at this, as Netflix to us is like cable TV or satellite to everyone else.  Cable is not available where we live, and we gave up satellite 6 years ago because it was just too expensive for the amount of time we were home and watching it.  This frustration led to her inspiration.  While I resisted the initial idea, she suggested bringing the Vizio blu-ray player into the bedroom, which required bringing a television in here also, and connect directly to the modem, just like Elena asked.  So, I moved a more sturdy (and sizable) 25 inch tube-type TV from my son’s room, and the Vizio blu-ray player from the living room, and wired the blu-ray directly to the modem.  Just as I suspected, it connected properly, and after several attempts, I got the same error message from each app.  This led to my second, and final online chat with a Vizio representative.  Following is that transcript:

New Question: Previous chat session representative Elena required that I establish a wired connection for my Bluray player as part of troubleshooting, even after successfully connecting to my Wifi.  Brought the Bluray and TV into the bedroom where my modem is and connected directly from my modem, bypassing the wireless router.  Same problem as before: Widgets/apps not working.

Gil: Thank you for contacting VIZIO Live Chat, the home of Entertainment Freedom for All.  This is Gil in South Dakota. Have you ever contacted us before?

 Patrick Sutton: Yes 30-45 minutes ago.  Representative Elena requested that I connect my bluray player through a wired connection, and after lugging a TV and Bluray into bedroom to be nearer the modem, I did it and got the same result as through wifi

 Gil: Here at VIZIO we pride ourselves in providing best in class customer support and all of our support is U.S. based, and I can assist you with that. Unfortunately then it does sound like the player would need to be replaced I apologize. You could also check with local electronics repair shops to see if any may be able to take a look at it and determine what specifically is causing the problem.

 Patrick Sutton: There's no software reload or anything like that???

 Gil: No unfortunately.

 Patrick Sutton: The apps are visible on the homescreen but I get an error message when I go into each one saying either software update failed or device not authorized for Pandora. etc...

 Gil: At this time there aren't any updates available for this model, nor would there be anything else that could be done for further troubleshooting.

 Patrick Sutton: That's disappointing, considering the device is only 2 years old and has been sitting in the same spot, not abused or moved.  That being the case, it has negatively affected my impression of Vizio, and will further influence my decision to purchase any type of appliance carrying the same name, I'm sorry to say...

 Gil: Is there anything else that I can assist you with today?

 Patrick Sutton: Definitely not....

 Gil: Thank you for contacting VIZIO Chat Support!  If you need our assistance again in the future you can contact us by Chat, Email, and Phone service.  That information is found on  http://www.vizio.com.  Have a great day!

 Gil has disconnected.

I was extremely frustrated and disappointed, to say the least.  I take great care of my appliances, and to have the apps, which are software controlled, to fail when the hardware itself functions fine (Yes, the disc player works properly.), it’s a hard pill to swallow.  I performed all the tests, jumped through all the hoops that Elena required that I do, and for Gil at Vizio to say there’s nothing more that could be done, I just can’t accept that.  I have a Nintendo Wii in another room used for Netflix (from the evolution of requiring the disc to load, then the app, and updates for the app), and that game system has more moving parts,  and is used more often, and yes, has outlasted the Vizio blu-ray player that plays 1/5 as many discs as streaming content.

I didn’t let the matter lie.  I posted on Twitter an attempt to seek some type of additional review.  I found it hard to believe that that was all that could be done.  Following are the tweet exchange between me and @Vizio and @VizioSupport:

Patrick C Sutton ‏@patricksutton72 7 Apr

@VIZIO @VIZIOsupport Very disappointed... I feel as if you dropped the ball with support and service...

4:03 PM - 7 Apr 13 

VIZIO Support‏@VIZIOsupport

@patricksutton72@VIZIO Do you have a case number we can look into?

4:56 PM - 7 Apr 13

Patrick C Sutton ‏@patricksutton727 Apr

@VIZIOsupport @VIZIO Case No. 3405655

5:28 PM - 7 Apr 13 

Patrick C Sutton ‏@patricksutton7211 Apr

@VIZIOsupport @VIZIO Did u forget me? I replied on Sun 4/7 w/Case No. 3405655 as u requested. I'm giving u a chance 2 review 2 make right...

2:27 PM - 11 Apr 13

VIZIO Support ‏@VIZIOsupport11 Apr

@patricksutton72 @VIZIO I did take a look into your case and there is nothing on our end that we can do. I do apologize for the troubles.

3:04 PM - 11 Apr 13

I have had friends contact me and ask for recommendations, and up to now, I have recommended Vizio because of the video quality of their TVs, the remotes with full-Qwerty keyboards, and the great experience we’ve had with their product.   I had recently even considered purchasing a new Vizio 3D blu-ray player with a full keyboard, all the apps I currently have PLUS several more, including YouTube, but that is now OVER!

Now, while I’m not at all suggesting that you never purchase another Vizio item again, I feel it my duty to relay my experience with Vizio and Vizio Support, and let you be the judge. 

If you are reading this, I thank you for your patience with my ramblings, and I hope you find my experience useful in your future purchasing decisions.  I, for one, am going to do exactly like I said, and find another manufacturer to satisfy my streaming audio/video needs.

Sincerely,

Patrick Sutton

@patricksutton72

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NTFS vs exFAT on USB 3.0

Test configuration:

- Windows 8 Pro x64
- ADATA N005 PRO Series 64 GB High-Speed USB 3.0 Flash Drive AN005P-64G-CGY
- ASMedia USB 3.0 controller, driver 6.2.9200.16420

Here is a quick test on the same USB drive using exFAT and NTFS. The drive was formatted each time and it was empty of any data.

exFAT:

NTFS:

Drive:

ADATA N005 PRO Series 64 GB High-Speed USB 3.0 Flash Drive AN005P-64G-CGY

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Going inside the Vizio CN15-A1

Tools required:
1 x T5 Torx screwdriver
1 x Phillips #00 screwdriver

Wi-Fi Adapter

WD 1TB HDD

Bare CPU and GPU

With cover off

Battery 6900mAh and status LED right below

Heat pipe and exhaust fan

Close up of copper plate and pipes

The internals are very accessible by removing just 6 Torx screws. The heatpipes are very thin and the fan is loud. The fan does not seem to have any profiles as it likes to spin at full rpms or stay off during idle.

I replaced the thermal compound with MX-2 and it dropped the GPU and CPU temperature by 3C. This allowed the temperature to go below 40C when idle and the fan turned off, but as soon as the CPU ramped up it made the fan go back to 100% then back down. This behavior kept going on with anything running or opening that utilized the CPU at all. Definitely needs a firmware update!

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Vizio CN15-A1 review

Good attempt, rough edges

CN15-A1 model from Amazon.com:

• Intel Core i5 3210M Processor 2.5GHz
• 4 GB DDR3 RAM
• 1000GB 5400rpm Hard Drive (WD blue)
• 15.6-Inch Screen
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (Microsoft Signature)

The laptop was immediately upgraded with a 256GB Samsung  830 SSD and 2 x 8GB DDR3 PC12800 running at 1.35v. From the short time spent with the factory install, it could be said that the OS is clean with no bloatware or extraneous services taking up CPU time or wasting precious battery.

 



 

The general shape of the laptop is clean and simple. The aluminum construction is sturdy, but it also makes it heavy at over 5lbs. The overall build quality is average and lacking in the many details that other manufacturers have spent decades honing. The edges right below the palm rest area are too sharp and make it extremely uncomfortable to use for anything but a short period of time. The sharp edge really cuts into the wrists, this should have been machined slightly to help with long term use comfort.

The 15.6" screen is the best feature of this laptop. It is bright and has excellent viewing angles. Vizio does not explicitly state what kind of panel they use in A1 model (unlike the CN15-A5), but clearly it is an IPS panel. No matter what angle you view it from the colors do not change. The screen has an anti-glare matte coating which a lot of people prefer over the clear glossy type due to the latter having reflections in bright environments. There was a slight hint of shimmer from the anti-glare matte finish, but nothing that would get in the way of every day use. The 1920x1080 resolution is a refreshing choice in a market flooded by sub par 1366x768 screens.


The keyboard is hard to use at first because of the physical shape, the keys are all flat and run into each other with no clear differentiation between keys at a glance.The fonts on the keys need to be bolder and darker for quicker visual scanning while typing. Although with more practice one could learn the key positions and improve their typing accuracy and speed. The keyboard does not have a back-light which at first doesn't seem like a big omission, but due to the thin and light lettering on the keys it's a feature that is needed badly whenever the lighting is dim.

The trackpad is mediocre and does not register inputs very well. Tracking is very jumpy and clicking takes a bit of effort as you have to really press with force. the mechanics of the trackpad are below average, but maybe Vizio can fix the tracking via future driver updates.

The lack of indicators can be a blessing or an annoyance. It only has one light on the front to indicate on/off. There are no indicators for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or HDD activity. This may be a personal preference more than anything.


The AC adapter is very large and heavy, if you are thinking of traveling this will add another 2lbs to your travel weight. The only positive about this bulky AC adapter is the orange/green indicator light to show charging status when connected to the laptop.

The fan profile needs a lot of work, it is very jumpy. The fan will stay off during idle which is excellent, but as soon as the CPU does any work it immediately starts to spin at a high rate and it's loud and distracting. Vizio should try to implement a more moderate ramp up and down to smooth out the fan noise. (This to me was the deal breaker, it just made the laptop unusable.)

Upgradability is where this laptop shines. (The chassis internals can be accessed using a Torx T5 screwdriver.) It uses a standard 2.5" hard drive mount and SATA connector. It also has two standard SoDIMM memory slots. This gives you the option to use any 2.5" hard drive of your choice and you can upgrade the RAM up to 16GB. There are no RAM or proprietary storage modules soldered on the motherboard.

 
Driver support from Vizio is very poor. Their support page does not provide all the drivers as of this writing. Some of the links to drivers were also down. A chat with support provided a Dropbox link as a temporary solution. This makes Vizio look incredibly amateurish in an era where simple driver downloads are the norm.

Certainly many people will be lured by the good specs and sleek looks, but this is a fatal mistake. Prospective owners would be smart to check out this laptop in person and spend some time using it. Just sitting with it for a few minutes will reveal most of the flaws for one to decide if they are deal breakers or not. If you need any kind of support be prepared to visit forums often as Vizio is not up to speed on support. In summary, it is a mediocre laptop and one can clearly see where they are cutting costs or lacking in expertise. Hopefully the next version will show significant improvements from Vizio.


Follow up: Going inside the Vizio CN15-A1

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